Sneak Peak at a Photo Shoot

A blog post by Senior Collections Manager Jobi Zink

Monday morning I headed over to Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Hospital for a photo shoot for our upcoming exhibition Here’s to Life!,set to open on December 7, 2011. Our goal was to photograph some of the current residents participating in creative, spiritual, nurturing and learning environments and include these images in the central portion of the exhibition.

Helene King provided a “shot sheet”—the location, the model (a resident), any staff or volunteers, and the time allotted. This helped the team know what we were doing, what props we could use, and the background.

It was fascinating to watch photographer Joe Rubinointeract with the residents. He worked quickly, providing clear instructions: smile, lean in, act natural. The residents really responded to his cues and seemed to have fun posing. I had fun snapping pictures, too, but tried to stay out of Joe’s way.

Chuck and I looked at the pictures to see if they’d work for the exhibition. Did the photographs convey the warm, caring atmosphere of Levindale? We evaluated the composition, the expressions, the space and light. For example, we decided to move the scarlet geranium in the background because rather than providing a splash of color, it appeared that they were growing out of Rebecca’s head.

Designer Chuck Mack demonstrates that the lectern will be too high for our wheelchair-bound model.

Photographing the art class was my favorite! I enjoyed watching the residents work on their projects, and talking to them about their paintings.

Jeri smiled about her painting of flowers, recalling the pretty bouquet her granddaughter carried at her recent wedding.

Residents at Levindale are often engaged in physical activity. JMM volunteer Maxine Cohen is also a volunteer with the Levindale Auxiliary.

Solomon, who will turn 94 later this week, kicked my butt in a friendly game of air hockey.

Dogs are a big hit with staff and residents alike. Bella had the largest audience of residents watching her photo shoot—including some of our earlier models, Mary and Helen.

I can’t wait to see the photographs that Joe took! And be sure to see those we highlight in the exhibit!